The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) hereby issues this ceasefire declaration to all commands and units of the New People’s Army (NPA) and the people’s militia to take effect on

0000 Hours of 24 December 2013 to 2359 Hours of 26 December 2013

and on

0000 Hours of 31 December 2013 to 2359 Hours of 2 January 2014

During the aforementioned periods, all commands of the NPA and the people’s militia shall cease and desist from carrying out offensive operations against the armed units and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and all other paramilitary forces attached to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.

The CPP-CC strongly reminds commands and units of the NPA and the people’s militia that while in active defense mode, they should remain ever vigilant against any encroachments by the reactionary armed forces and its attached armed groups into the territories of the people’s democratic government. In the face of clear and imminent danger, NPA and people’s militia units retain the option to engage in armed hostilities as an act of self-defense, and in order to prevent the enemy from unleashing its brutalities against the people.

This ceasefire declaration is being issued in solidarity with the Filipino people’s traditional observance of Christmas and New Year holidays.

Furthermore, the ceasefire declaration is being issued in order to allow the Filipino people and their revolutionary forces to join mass celebrations to mark the 45th anniversary of the CPP’s re-establishment on 26 December. NPA Red fighters will be ensuring the security of large numbers of people anticipated to flock to the various assembly points in the guerrilla zones to join the celebrations.

This declaration effectively extends by another two days the ceasefire covering the regional commands of the NPA in the Eastern Visayas, Panay Island, Central Visayas and Negros Island, whose forces were mobilized to assist the people in the areas devastated by the recent supertyphoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan).

The CPP-CC takes notice of the earlier ceasefire declaration issued by the Regional Committee of the CPP in Eastern Visayas which suspends all offensive operations of the NPA forces in Samar and Leyte islands up to the middle of January 2014, in view of the extent of the devastation and the scale of effort that must be exerted by the masses and their army to rise up from the ravages of the storm.

Relentless suppression operations of the AFP in the devastated areas hinder the people from launching mass struggles and engaging in campaigns for rehabilitation. The CPP-CC is thus prevented from issuing a further extension of the ceasefire declaration in the Visayas. It furthermore affirms the right of the NPA forces in the Eastern Visayas to retain the option of cutting short the ceasefire declaration if AFP offensive operations continue to prevent the revolutionary masses from engaging in rehabilitation efforts.